The fifth annual Toledo Pride festival and parade is now secured in my Toledo Area LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Historical Archives. By far the biggest and best since the event started five years ago with only 2,500 in attendance at the Erie Street Market. This year we surpassed the 20,000 mark for the three-day events.

With time and growth, the event has gained allied support from not only the community but major corporate sponsorship like Fifth Third, Yark Fiat, Miller Lite, KISS FM, TARTA, Park Inn, Owens Corning, Huntington Bank, Hollywood Casino Toledo and many others. Events like this can’t succeed without financial support from caring businesses in the community who believe in supporting equality for all people within the local LGBT community.

This year I attended the festival with my new friend, James Meyers, a bright and talented young man who had never attended a gay pride event before. He expressed an interest to help and assisted me with selling Toledo Pride merchandise for a few hours. It was a joy to see the first time excitement of someone just experiencing that kind of love and acceptance from thousands of LGBT people and our allies. He sang, danced, rejoiced and truly embraced a loving community of people just being themselves. It was a joy to introduce someone new to this community and trying to find their way.

With mainstream acceptance, I sometimes feel the local LGBT community is losing the unity we once had. Toledo Pride brought back that warm feeling we all enjoy at Christmas time. All of Toledo’s gay bars — Mojo, R House, Legends Showclub and Bretz – joined forces and sponsored the event and were present in the parade.

Of course we had a small group of protesters shouting out hate and contempt for a birth-given sexual identity they don’t understand nor do they care to. They were outnumbered and quickly faded into the rainbow colored celebration they tried to disrupt.

Media coverage this year reached an all time high and was the best so far. All of the local TV stations covered the event, giving great support to attract people down to the events. Many radio stations including KISS FM and WSPD devoted much air time to promoting the event.

For the fourth year in a row, Toledo Free Press served as the media sponsor, publishing an official 34-page “Pride Guide” packed with news, information and photos the week before the event. For the first time, The Blade really got behind the event and devoted two cover stories to Toledo Pride.

Promenade Park was overflowing with vendors from all aspects of the gay and lesbian community ranging from religious, political, educational, support groups, charity organizations, gay marriage, financial institutions, merchandise booths and more. Food and drink vendors were also up this year to the delight of many.

A wide range of entertainment lasted all day until the festival ended at midnight. Featured acts included Flabongo Nation, Pastele Pasquelina, Eryn Woods, Breaking Ground, Dumb Easies and Chavar Dontae. Drag kings and queens featured this year included Gina Arnaz, Porsha Armani, Muffy Fishbasket, Amber Stone, Deja Dellataro, Bois with Outskirts, London Asia and Brook Lockhart. Pride Rides on the Sandpiper were a huge hit again this year as festival goers enjoyed a breezy 40 minute ride on the Maumee River.

I want to personally send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone involved in making Toledo Pride a success this year. The full time committee who work on and off all year with neverending dedication. The army of volunteers who help tie everything together. The many major and minor sponsors who donate financially, physically and in kind. All the print, radio and TV outlets who help spread the word. All the entertainers who donate their time and talents. And the thousands and thousands of LGBT people and our supportive allies who attend. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Rick Cornett is a promoter, historian and activist of the local LGBT community serving on the Toledo Pride, Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla and Toledo Area LGBT Historical Archive committees.

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Owens Corning helps local school with ‘spring makeover’

Newly constructed pinecone bird feeders swung from the trees as Pickett Academy students painted fresh white lines for future foursquare games on the blacktop.

Students and staff partnered with about 65 employees from Owens Corning, a Toledo-based Fortune 500 company, to renovate the academy’s outdoor area on May 22 and 23.

Pickett Academy students work on their playground with the help of Owens Corning employees (not pictured) during a United Way of Greater Toledo Days of Caring event on May 23. Toledo Free Press Photo by Jordan Finney

“I do think it’s important to get the kids outdoors,” said Kylie Ernsthausen, Owens Corning’s director of the United Way of Greater Toledo May Days of Caring. “A lot of them are doing things they haven’t done before, like planting or helping put a bench together. This teaches them life skills that they haven’t been exposed to.”

By the end of the work project, students and volunteers from Owens Corning built an outdoor learning lab, bird sanctuary, weather station, butterfly garden and community garden.

A local senior center has volunteered to take care of the community garden. Ernsthausen said she hopes its vegetables and herbs will be donated to families who live nearby Pickett Academy.

In addition, Owens Corning employees said they plan to build a pavilion in the next month to complete Pickett Academy’s “spring makeover.”

“Pickett is fairly new, but there’s definitely improvements we can do to help the kids,” Ernsthausen said.

A Pickett Academy student touches an insect during a presentation by Jane Pearson, lead education outreach programmer at the Toledo Zoo, on May 23. Toledo Free Press photo by Jordan Finney

Students also said they enjoyed listening to Jane Pearson, lead education outreach programmer at the Toledo Zoo, give a presentation about insects on May 23.

Pearson talked to the class about insect anatomy while drawing a diagram of a butterfly on the board and fielding questions from eager kids. She also allowed students to touch live animals, including a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

Days of Caring aims to improve communities by asking company employees from Lucas, Wood and Ottawa counties to volunteer on projects together, according to Owens Corning.

“A lot of these schools are the gems of their community,” Ernhausten said. “Owens Corning has a long relationship with Pickett and we love working with the kids. These schools are definitely a source of pride for their neighborhoods and it’s fun to be a part of that.”

Toledo family has worked at Owens Corning for three generations

Twenty-five years ago, when Brian Caulkins visited his mom at work at Owens Corning, she would proudly show him off to her co-workers. Today, Carol Caulkins does the same thing — except now Brian’s visits come on business as a fellow employee.

As the company’s North American sales leader for glass reinforcements, Brian manages a team of nine sales managers across the U.S. and Canada. Work brings him to Toledo at least twice a month.

Carol Caulkins, Gladys Caulkins and Brian Caulkins are three generations of a Toledo family who have worked at Owens Corning. Photo Courtesy Owens Corning

“As a kid, whenever I was in the building I was always paraded around [by my mom], saying ‘This is my baby!’ — and that still happens today,” Brian said, laughing. “Whenever I have to come to Toledo I make it a point to go to the cafeteria and have lunch with my mom or make sure I see her before leaving the building and there’s always someone new around who hasn’t met me yet. Whether I’m 10 or 38, I still get the same introduction.”

Carol, an executive assistant at the company’s Toledo headquarters, started at Owens Corning in 1978 and recently celebrated 35 years with the company.

Brian’s paternal grandmother, Gladys Caulkins, also worked at Owens Corning, making him the third generation in his family to work for the company. Gladys, now 90, started working at Owens Corning as a cashier in 1966, retiring in 1980 from the company’s credit union.

In all, at least six of Brian’s family members are current or former Owens Corning employees, including Carol’s twin sister, Marilyn Mills, a meetings and events coordinator.

“The bulk of my family legacy is women, strong women in a manufacturing environment,” Brian said. “That really was the fabric I grew up with.”

Brian, who now lives in Cleveland, was born and raised in Toledo. He graduated from St. John’s Jesuit High School and Bowling Green State University and later earned an MBA from Case Western Reserve University. He has been with Owens Corning since 2007 and in his current position for the past year and a half.

Carol and Marilyn often help coordinate sales meetings or plan awards ceremonies; sometimes Brian is involved with an event they plan. One of his favorite memories was receiving his first sales award at a ceremony organized by his mom.

“That was a nice moment for both of us,” Brian said. “It’s kind of a nice feeling to go to an event and see my mom or aunt working there. It’s also a nice feeling when you’re away from home, traveling on the road and, sure, you’re with work friends, but it’s always good to see your mom.”

Brian said his favorite part of his job is “creative collaboration” with his sales team and helping them develop as sales professionals.

“I like getting into constructive debates with my sales team on what specific companies want or what negotiations they are working on, just going back and forth debating ideas about how to get creative with a specific account and how to win a new piece of business so it’s good for the company and good for the customer,” Brian said.

Carol said she enjoys her job because it’s versatile.

“It’s not repetitious. There’s always something new to it,” Carol said. “It’s given me the opportunity to participate in some high-profile programs and projects.”

Carol said she’s proud of Brian.

“I’m very proud of what he’s accomplished, both personally and professionally,” Carol said. “It’s nice to see that legacy move forward and that he’s making his own mark within the company.”

Both said they are proud of Owens Corning’s 75th anniversary milestone.

“To me personally, it means a lot,” Brian said. “We make products that people need. My team deals with a lot of small businesses and entrepreneurs and we provide products and solutions to help build businesses that support their families. There’s a sense of pride and a sense of purpose to offer real products and real solutions for our customers.”

Carol agreed, adding that it seemed the 75th anniversary was a point of pride for all employees.

“We kind of took the whole year to celebrate and I could really see a sense of pride in a lot of the employees there,” Carol said. “Watching the history video that particular anniversary week was really cool. I had watched it before, but hadn’t really watched it until that week and then I was in a room with all the other employees and felt slightly overwhelmed with pride.”

Brian said he’s proud of his family’s legacy at Owens Corning.

“There’s a sense of pride that I’ve had someone in my family at Owens Corning since 1966, that for over half the life of the company, someone in my family has worked there,” Brian said. “When I came to Owens Corning, I just felt at home when I walked in. I’d never experienced that at any other company. I felt like I was home.”

Brian hopes he may even wind up back in Toledo someday.

“I come into town so frequently that it’s not nostalgic when I come in, but I like the fact that everyone knows Toledo as the Glass City and Owens Corning is part of that,” Brian said.

“I know that in my career all roads lead to Toledo. That’s something my wife and I are open to. Eventually we’ll come home.”

Owens Corning CEO rings NYSE’s closing bell

Owens Corning Chairman and CEO Michael Thaman and the company’s senior leadership team, along with the company’s iconic Pink Panther mascot, traveled to New York City to ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Oct. 28.

Owens Corning, headquartered in Toledo, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

The company employs 15,000 people in 27 countries on five continents and operates in two major segments: residential and commercial building materials (primarily roofing and insulation) and composites — glass-fiber reinforcements and engineered materials for thousands of end-use applications in a number of markets.

Tower on the Maumee in renovation talks

The last time Downtown Toledo’s second tallest building was occupied, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $1.22, the Federal minimum wage was $5.15 and President Bill Clinton was campaigning for a second term.

Eyde Company currently owns The Tower on the Maumee, which was renamed in 2008. The company is currently in talks with a few firms for leasing and the redevelopment of the building, according to Nick Eyde, the building’s project developer.

Eyde said once redevelopment is under way, the building could be operational in 12-18 months. Eyde Company has much of the financing for redevelopment lined up, and believes it will again be an anchor of the Downtown business district.

“This type of project is not for the faint of heart,” Eyde said. “We are on the verge of some exciting things, much like a similar project we are undertaking in Lansing.”

Eyde envisions a restaurant on the ground floor in the main lobby, and a mix of office space, hotel rooms or high-rise apartments on the upper floors.

Funding has been provided from the state and federal governments in the form of The Clean Ohio Revitalization Fund for $2.5 million and the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative, a $2 million grant, which was awarded to just six projects nationally.

Eyde said the building had to be designated under the National Register of Historic Places in order to qualify for the Brownfields grant.

“The building does not turn 50 until 2018, but it was awarded an exception based on the historical significance of the architect, and the fact that it was Toledo’s first skyscraper,” Eyde said.

As an integral part of the Toledo skyline, the building is 400 feet tall, 30 stories, has 390,000 gross square feet of floor space and an attached 515-space parking garage. The Tower on the Maumee is often confused with Toledo’s tallest building, One Seagate (the Fifth Third Bank building), which is 11 feet taller.

A third party owned the building for about a year after Owens Corning vacated it as its world headquarters. Eyde Company has owned the building since the late 1990s.

Owens Corning moved to its current campus along the Maumee River in 1996, leaving the former Fiberglas Tower vacant for more than 16 years. Fiberglas is a patented spelling for Owens’ products.

At the time, the building had become a relic from the late 1960s, a time when urban centers were building taller and “glass box,” buildings were popping up all over the country. Toledo was no exception, as The Tower on the Maumee was completed in 1969.

It was discovered after the Owens move that the building contained asbestos fireproofing, which would be a barrier to revitalization efforts, and a possible nightmare for developers looking for potential tenants.

“The cost to remove was more than initially anticipated,” Eyde said. “Ultimately with the help of the state’s Clean Ohio Fund, the asbestos was removed.”

Each floor was painstakingly scraped out and cleaned by late 2011, Eyde said.

A number of potential building designs by Poggemeyer Design Group have been completed, and the next steps will be to convert those designs to construction drawings for redevelopment.

Toledo has one of the highest obesity rates in America, a nation in which one in three adults is obese. To combat these growing trends, Toledo-area businesses are developing fitness and health programs for employees and city residents.

The riverfront walking path developed by Owens Corning is one of the offerings that can be found in the city.

“[The path] is very nice. I’m glad we have something Downtown,” said Jonas Westrin, an avid runner. “With a combination of this and a group exercise, I don’t have to take blood pressure medicine anymore. My doctor said, ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing.’”

The local produce offered by the Toledo Farmers’ Market is part of another program designed to keep Toledo residents healthy.

The Market’s “Double Up Food Bucks” program allows shoppers with Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or Ohio Direction Cards to double their purchasing power. If shoppers on benefit programs spend $20 at the market, they get an additional $20 to spend on local produce. The program was initially created by the Fair Food Network, based in Ann Arbor.

“The idea was to get people on assistance to eat more nutritious foods,” said Dan Madigan, executive director of the Farmers’ Market Association of Toledo. “The only place they have to buy food is the corner convenience stores, so they end up buying junk food. We’re trying to show the USDA that there’s better ways to implement food stamps.”

The only limitation shoppers have is they must spend the $20 benefit on locally grown produce.

“That’s one thing we have to educate shoppers on,” Madigan said. “Use the double-up bucks first for your produce and then use your card to buy everything else.”

Madigan said the market also offers other resources.

“We offer a once-a-month canning demonstration,” he said. “We demonstrate how to cook them as well as how to save them.”

Madigan said the response from shoppers is overwhelming.

“It’s just really nice, all the people who stop and say thanks,” he said. “I just had a woman last week talk about how she canned all last year and was able to have fresh produce through the winter. It’s the highlight of their summer, being able to come out here and buy fresh food.”

The Fair Food Network has plans to expand the “Double Up Food Bucks” program in Ann Arbor, but Madigan said he doesn’t see much expansion for the Toledo-area program unless more funds become available.

“It’s a very small number of people compared to those who are on food stamps, but we’re small,” Madigan said. “We’re always looking for funding next year.”

Fighting with Imagination

Toledo residents can also learn about personal wellness at Imagination Station, where the “Eat It Up!” exhibit focuses on teaching kids the benefits of eating healthy and staying active.

“It’s not uncommon for a science center to have a health exhibition,” said Lori Hauser, CEO of Imagination Station. “Obviously, childhood obesity is a serious problem that affects lots of children. Eat It Up! puts the focus on nutrition and exercise.”

The program came about through a partnership between the center and ProMedica, which focused on creating a permanent exhibition to promote a joint healthy kids initiative.

“In Ohio, we are 12th in childhood obesity rates, and it can lead to serious issues as an adult,” Hauser said. “If they leave here with just a little bit of information, then that has an impact. I think there are some really cool experiences that they might have and go home and say, ‘Hey, Mom and Dad, this is what I did today. I want to try this.’ Our goal is to try to have a family dialogue going on.”

The exhibit features eight different activity stations, ranging from the Heart Rate Rally, where kids race a series of flashing lights, to the Lifestyle Camera, which shows how lifestyle choices affect future appearance.

“Lifestyle Camera is one of the most popular ones,” said Sloan Mann, assistant director of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education at Imagination Station. “You enter your eating habits, exercise habits, and it shows you what you look like years from now. We also have the food smasher, and it’s pretty graphic, but it’s also educating people on what is inside their food.”

Mann said there are a lot of variables to consider when developing a plan to combat childhood obesity.

“The science center sees ourselves as a piece of the puzzle,” she said.

Owens Corning seeks health

Owens Corning, a Toledo-area industrial giant, offers health benefits to its employees in an effort to promote overall well-being.

“Having healthy employees is important to us,” said Mark Snyder, benefits director at Owens Corning.

Employees have access to an onsite fitness center, health seminars and spinning classes. Food in the cafeteria is labeled with nutritional values and on-site health screenings are available.

“We’re trying to create a culture where it’s easy to be healthy,” Snyder said.

Employees have opportunities to reduce what they pay in health care premiums by participating in the various programs.

“Each employee has a health target that they try to reach to lower their health care premiums, but if they don’t reach that in their annual screenings, they have other ways to earn incentive dollars,” Snyder said.

Jeremy Hervey, pricing analyst at Owens Corning, started his job weighing 348 pounds. Thanks to the Owens Corning fitness programs, he now weighs 286 pounds and has run the 5K in the Glass City Marathon.

“I am a huge believer in what the OC Fitness Center had offered me,” Hervey said in an email. “When I got hired into Owens Corning on Oct. 10, 2011, Mindy Calgie, fitness director at Owens Corning, gave me a one month free pass. I was miserable and she gave me hope that I could do something about it. She had me do a mile run as fast as I could do it. I couldn’t run the entire time because it hurt my legs, knees and every other part of my body.”

Hervey said he made a commitment to himself in August of 2012 to do 50 miles on a treadmill in 31 days.

“I finished the 50 miles with four days to spare and I attribute that success to posting a tracking sheet around my team at work and they kept me encouraged and accountable,” he said. “Mindy set up a walking session at lunch two days a week, to walk the bridges and other paths around Owens Corning. That kept me motivated.”

One year after he made his pledge, Hervey is signed up to run his first half-marathon in Dublin, Ohio, on Aug. 25.

“I am not done yet,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to weigh 245-250 pounds and have a total loss of 100 pounds. In all the success I have had with feeling better, breathing better, sleeping better, the most impactful part has been helping others start their own journey. It’s through helping others that I realize that I can’t stop doing what I’m doing. Every time I hear a compliment on how I look and the energy level I possess, it fuels the fire to keep going. This world is hurting for hope in many ways, including a healthier lifestyle.”

Snyder said Owens Corning continues to look for ways to improve on benefit programs offered to employees not only in the Toledo area, but around the world.

“It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We want our employees to be healthy. A healthy employee feels good. If you feel better, you’re going to be a better worker, a better dad, a better husband.”

Club 14 injects rock ‘n’ roll spirit into golf tourney

One year ago, the 14th hole at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic erupted in cheers and chants as hundreds of party-loving golf spectators broke all audience rules. Now, they’re doing it again.

This is Lauren O’Neill’s second year as the face of what is now Club 14. TOLEDO FREE PRESS STAR PHOTO AND COVER PHOTO BY JOSEPH HERR.

Club 14, formerly known as Klinger’s Club, is set to open its rule-free 14th hole at this year’s Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning and Owens-Illinois on July 19, where audience members can join in on singing, screaming and beer-drinking. This year’s event comes with a few changes, learned through trial and error; most notably, the name change.

“We had to change the name because Jamie Farr got out of the game. We wanted a name that was not specific to a sponsor, so we don’t have to change it every year,” said Stephen Vasquez, membership development manager at the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce and one of the event’s organizers.

The amount of seating will also increase, going from 300-person capacity bleachers to 500-person capacity bleachers.

Tournament Director Judd Silverman said he hopes to see Club 14 grow.

“We’re very excited to build on that,” Silverman said. “We hope to double or triple the crowd out there on Friday afternoon this year.”

Instead of last year’s T-shirts, the first 300 people will receive golf towels.

“We tried to do a white-out last year, but it didn’t work, because not enough people wore the T-shirts,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez said the organizers are doing research into the background of the golfers, looking up their hometowns and school chants.

“There was one girl who went to [University of] Alabama, so when she hit her tee shot, the whole crowd yelled, ‘Roll Tide!’” Vasquez said.

Another component is caddy racing.

“Right after the golfers take their tee shots, everyone shouts for a caddy race, and they get really into it. Some of them drop their bags and just start running,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez said this year will be fun for the caddies as well as the golfers.

“We found out some things about the caddies, so we’ll have some joking fun with them,” he said.

Vasquez said another great aspect of last year’s event was the attendees’ ensembles.

“We had some pretty crazy outfits last year, so that’s something we’re encouraging this year,” he said.

The event organizers are also reaching out to the golfers themselves, asking them to bring items to give to the crowd. The effort was a great success last year, Vasquez said.

“[The golfers] interacted with the crowd really well. Last year, we were able to reach out to all the golfers,” he said. “Almost every girl brought something. If it’s in a golf bag, they brought it, and they just tossed it up.”

Silverman said the event was a big hit with the golfers last year.

“It was great. The players really embraced it, which was really fun to see,” he said. “They came prepared. They were throwing all sorts of stuff up into the crowd — golf balls and hats and beads and all sorts of things — so that made it a lot of fun that the players were having fun with it.”

Other changes to the event include the addition of four skyboxes.

“I don’t think they’ve ever done skyboxes on the 14th hole, so that’s pretty good for the second year,” Vasquez said.

Another change remedies a shortage that occurred last year.

“There will be more beer this year. Colder beer,” Vasquez said, laughing.

Last year’s event reached crisis level when the beer ran out for Klinger’s Club, leaving personnel scrambling for more.

“They were making emergency runs, and it was all warm beer,” Vasquez said.

Club 14 started last year as part of an effort to bolster the number of tournament attendees.

“It was a collaboration between myself, Franz [Gilis], Judd [Silverman] and a few other people. We wanted to figure out some way of getting more people out there,” Vasquez said. “We asked, ‘Well, what could we do that was different?’”

Vasquez and Gilis modeled their event after the PGA Phoenix Open’s 16th hole.

“At their 16th hole, there’s not much they don’t do. It’s very popular,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez said their hope was to raise Toledo’s profile on the tour.

“Toledo has a golf history. We used to host the U.S. Open here,” Vasquez said. “If we could drive more people to like golf, maybe we could make Toledo more of a golf destination. It’d be really cool to have Toledo on the map as the loudest, craziest tournament.”

This year, Club 14 will also host the Huntington After Play Par-Tee next to the champion’s tent. Entertainment will be provided by the Aaron Stark Band. Club 14 sponsors this year are Nemsys, Cooperative Business Services, The Image Group, Toledo Free Press and WNWO.

Rocky Mountain wide

While on my daily walk through Downtown Toledo on May 6, I passed a group of four people (two men and two women) who were walking east on Washington Street, toward the Owens-Corning campus. I did not hear the context of their conversation, but as we passed, one of the women said to her friends, with emphatic certainty, “It’s not hard. Stop eating and exercise more.”

It seems almost too simple an equation to contain such a complex problem: Your body weight is a result of energy balance — the amount of energy (food) you take in relation to the amount of energy (activity) you expend. It’s thermodynamics.

But the main message at the National Press Foundation’s (NPF) “Obesity Issues 2013” journalism fellowship in Aurora, Colo., was that the problem is complicated beyond common knowledge and the solution is … there is no single solution.

I was one of 15 journalists accepted into the program (NPF covered all travel, lodging and food expenses), in a group that included representatives from ABC News National, Forbes.com, Los Angeles Times, PBS and HealthPolicySolutions.org. There were nearly 20 presentations in four days, encompassing an amazing array of researchers, industry professionals and health care sources.

The NPF conference drove home the powerful — and dispiriting — message that for as much truth as it contains, “eat less, move more” doesn’t contain all the answers.

Never in human history has a civilization built for itself as much access to food and as little need for physical activity as our current American culture. Obesity researcher Morgan Downey has identified 82 “putative causes for obesity.”

The list includes such common-sense factors as eating away from home, food marketing, labor-saving devices, overeating, television viewing, stress, genetics and sleep deficits. It also includes less obvious factors: air conditioning, being a single mother, influence of friends, living in high-crime areas, marrying later in life, using food stamps, vending machines and little to no breastfeeding.

Writing for the Journal of Obesity, Downey said, “If a disease has 82 possible causes, can anyone say we know what the cause is? Can a diverse collection of events trigger a perturbation in the system to cause obesity? Alternatively, since each putative cause has some individuals with exposure who do not develop obesity, is there some kind of ‘master switch’ which has to be tripped to cause excess adipose tissue accumulation? What possible prevention strategy could account for all these variables?”

According to the long line of experts testifying at the NPF conference, it is unlikely any single strategy can offer prevention. With previous public safety issues such as wearing seat belts or dealing with secondhand smoke, data and public endorsement resulted in policy and regulation. But experts at NPF said many attempts to use policy and regulation to curb obesity, such as San Francisco banning fast-food restaurants in certain areas or New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attempting to limit the size of soda purchases, are not supported by data and have been received as infringements on freedom of choice. There is also the problem that — unlike the clear concepts of hurtling through a windshield at 70 mph or lungs withering under the assault of tobacco smoke — fat has no single image or impact around which science can rally sentiment. Fat itself doesn’t kill; it’s the damage obesity does to the heart, arteries, liver, kidneys, insulin regulation, sleep, and its contributions to strokes, cancer, cholesterol, joint problems, high blood pressure and scores of other complications that kill. How can science or government get its arms around a problem that is impacted by food environment, built environment and economics?

During the NPF conference, journalists heard from expert after expert who explored and dissected endless angles of the obesity issue.

Daniel Bessesen, professor of medicine and associate director of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, which hosted the conference, put words to my thoughts when he said that the epiphany which motivates an individual to change lifestyle habits and lose weight is so personal and unique to that person that there may be no way to strategize and plan an effective public policy.

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a retired three-star general, gave a compelling presentation on how obesity is impacting military readiness. The cost to the country of trying to forge a volunteer army from a population that is largely physically unfit to serve is unsustainable. There are costs from recruits being injured in basic training because their bodies are not used to activity. There are costs from recruits who cannot be deployed until their myriad dental problems — from years of neglect and sugar ingestion — are corrected. Hertling oversaw a culture change that has radically altered the Army’s ways of dealing with the issue and is influencing not only the other U.S. armed forces, but those of our European allies.

Kim Gorman, weight management program director for the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, offered insight to preventing childhood obesity. One of the striking things she pointed out was the culture of providing snacks after children’s athletic events. Kids are taking in more calories through after-game chips and juice boxes than they are burning through such relatively low impact activities as tee ball or soccer.

Brian Wansink, a professor of marketing and director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, educated the NPF fellows on a wide array of marketing strategies for getting people to choose healthy food over unhealthy food — and vice-versa. He spoke about how where you are seated at a buffet (and such variables as plate color, plate size and plate placement) impacts how much you eat.

There were more sources and topics than can be summarized in one column, so this summer, Toledo Free Press will embark on a series that will localize much of the information presented at the conference. My weight loss journey (down 160 pounds after bariatric sleeve surgery in September) reflects a greater problem in the Toledo area, which the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index ranked as America’s 7th fattest city.

There may not be an answer, but there are answers. Science can find them. Public policy can regulate them. This summer, Toledo Free Press and NPF will report them. But only you can heed them, or treat them like snatches of overheard conversation with no context.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Distracted driving

On my morning drive April 4, I ran a red light, grazed a deer, blew through a stop sign, clipped a pedestrian at a crosswalk, sideswiped a car and was ticketed for several traffic violations.

It was all my fault; I was chatting with a passenger, texting on my phone and checking messages while I was driving.

Fortunately, all of that happened during a session in a Distracted Driving Simulator in the lobby of Owens Corning. But it was a harsh reminder of a common sense principle we all ignore: You cannot safely drive if your attention is divided.

The simulator is a three-monitor setup with a steering wheel, gas pedal and brake on the floor. I drove through the realistic video for about seven minutes, trying to watch all the mirrors and environmental challenges, while a passenger voice gave directions and an on-screen cellphone flashed messages and asked for answers.

The simulator, an Ohio Department of Transportation project, has been touring Ohio, with stops this week at SSOE, the University of Toledo and Oregon’s municipal complex. It ought to be in every high school and workplace, to remind people that when they are driving, they are in control of a lethal torpedo that is one of the most effective instruments of murder ever invented.

According to Matt Schroder, senior leader of corporate communications, Owens Corning has gone beyond simply offering the simulator by recently making it official policy for employees to leave the cellphone alone when driving: “Drivers are prohibited from utilizing a cellphone (hand-held or hands-free) to conduct company business while the vehicle is in operation or while driving on company property.

Includes texting, checking emails, accepting incoming calls or placing a call unless the vehicle is completely stopped and properly parked in a safe location.

Including handheld, hands-free or an in-vehicle installed system.”

The statistics are brutal. According to the State Highway Patrol of Ohio, “Driving while texting or talking on the phone is considered more dangerous than driving at .08 blood alcohol content. Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of close calls involve a driver’s lack of attention within three seconds before the event.”

A fact sheet handed out by SSOE, which has a similar policy prohibiting talking and texting on a cellphone to conduct company business while driving, contained these statistics:

Driver distraction is a contributor in 93 percent of rear-end collisions.

Driving while using a cell phone reduces brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.

18-to-20-year-olds are four times as likely to be involved in a distracted driving accident than drivers more than 35 years old.

The National Safety Council has also weighed in:

Communities that enact bans on hand-held devices but continue to allow hands-free devices see no reduction in the number of crashes after bans take effect.

Each year, more than 1.1 million crashes (25 percent of all crashes) are attributed to cellphone use, accounting for 500,000 injures and 5,000 deaths. This works out to more than 3,000 crashes, 1,300 injuries, and 13 deaths every day.

A new study of company vehicle fleet crash rates reveals the top safety performers are companies with policies enacting a total ban on cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) that enforce such policies.

Of course, it’s not just cell phones. People eat and drink in their cars, engage in personal grooming and distract themselves with navigation systems, videos, radios, CD and MP3 players and all kinds of curious behavior. When I lived in South Florida and drove I-95 every day (home to the rudest drivers I’ve ever encountered, although some of the people on Brint Road in Sylvania and Secor Road in Toledo are pretty bad), I saw people engaged in reckless behavior that ranged from openly drinking from beer cans to makin’ babies, two activities which are reckless enough on stable, dry land.

I am a much better driver when my wife and kids are in the car than I am when I am driving solo. I am definitely guilty of talking on the cellphone and occasionally texting as I make my way to and from work.

It’s a hard habit to break, but after plowing through the streets of the distracted driving simulator like Homer Simpson fighting Peter Griffin for the steering wheel, I have a greater understanding of the dangers I am ignoring.

I signed the pledge to put the cellphone down when I drive, but the incentive of my family is all I need. Whether using the phone while driving gets me killed with or without them in the car, I’d be just as dead, and there is simply nothing on that BlackBerry that can’t wait.

I used to tell people that, like the bad guy in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” who grabs the burning medallion and sears its design into his hand, I have the BlackBerry “B” imprinted in my palm from holding it so much.

After failing the distracted driving simulator, I plan on working to make sure that “B” begins to fade from my grasp.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

United Way campaign donations increase

Despite tough economic times, United Way of Greater Toledo increased the money it raised during its annual campaign for the second year in a row, collecting $13,607,300 in 2011.

“The community really should be thanked. It’s a tremendous effort,” said Bill Kitson, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Toledo. The sum is a 1.5 percent increase above 2010’s $13,409,320, but still short of the 2011 goal of $13.8 million. Funds from the campaign will go toward United Way’s efforts at improving health, education and income in 2012.

“The fact that we were able to increase 1.5 percent is just a great testament to the engagement and the generosity of this community at both a personal level as well as a corporate level,” said Tom Manahan, 2011’s campaign chair and president of The Lathrop Company. 2012’s campaign chair will be Randy Oostra, president and CEO of ProMedica.

The campaign, which officially kicked off in September and ended Jan. 12, received contributions from about 30,000 donors. 2011’s campaign featured a Leadership Matching Challenge Grant, sponsored by Mercy and Medical Mutual, which matched any new or increased leadership gift of $1,000 or more, creating $3.5 million.

Bill Kitson

The Education Matching Challenge Grant, sponsored by SSOE Group and Lathrop, matched education-designated gifts of $100 or more, garnering $615,000 in education designations.

“The fact that education designations doubled this year shows the fact that the community shares our passion for graduating kids. We’re very concerned that every child have an education,” Kitson said.

Tocqueville Society gifts of $10,000 plus, spearheaded by George and Leslie Chapman, were another source of funds. The Chapmans were able to increase the number of these donors by 20 percent, resulting in a 9 percent increase in dollars donated for Tocqueville Society gifts. About 95 individuals donated at this level, bringing in more than $1.3 million.

Workplace donors included The Andersons, Chrysler Toledo Assembly Plant, Owens Corning, the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Refining Company, the Wood County Government Offices and Owens-Illinois, which set the record with $785,318 in donations.

Many companies offered to match employees’ volunteer hours with cash contributions to United Way or other organizations, a strategy that the United Way may use in next year’s campaign.

“There absolutely is a strategy to this volunteerism. If you could deploy volunteers in very strategic ways, they could be almost as useful as dollars,” Kitson said.

Another unique part of 2011’s campaign was that it kicked off with a week of Days of Caring, where employees give their time to volunteer work, instead of the standard one Day of Caring. Instead of the typical 300-400 volunteers, 1,200 volunteered that week.

“Not only is it the impact of all the hours they put into that volunteer activity, but just the fact that they’re out there in the community, they tend to get a much better feel for the need in the community, and then they get more engaged, which tends to snowball into more gifts, more volunteers,” Manahan said.

The campaign concluded with a Victory Celebration on Jan. 12 at Courtyard at the Docks, sponsored by Dana Corporation. At the celebration, Best Buy received the Spirit of Caring —Outstanding Company award.

“It’s a company that’s really done fabulous work in our community, beyond dollars and cents, getting into the neighborhoods, helping folks with very real issues,” Kitson said.

Some of Best Buy’s work in 2011 included running a “Geek Bus” into low-income communities, where staff taught a computer course. The United Way also awarded Olivia Summons and her team at the Toledo Refining Company the Campaign Team of the Year award. It is the first time since 2008 that the company raised more than $100,000, something Kitson attributed to Summons and her team.